


Good Days, Bad Days

by TheBigLoserQueen



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 13:55:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4524540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bumblebee only tends to think negatively of himself sometimes. Luckily, he has someone who truly understands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Days, Bad Days

Bumblebee just wasn't having a good day. Mud on his paintjob, burned out tires, a scolding from both Prowl and Ratchet (both for different reasons), and a small argument with Sari. Currently, he was sitting in his quarters, pouting and grumbling to himself. He fortunately did have patrol rounds that evening, but he was so upset that he didn't even want to distract himself with videogames or anything. He just wanted to be alone and sulk.   
  
Of course, he knew that wouldn't happen when Optimus walked into the room. Like a sparkling, he folded his arms across his chassis and gave his friend a pouting face. The Prime huffed and sat down on his berth next to him, rubbing up and down his back.  
  
"What's wrong, Bumblebee?"  
  
Optimus had heard about the yellow mech's bad day. Well, more like heard from his teammates as they complained about him. He had figured the mech was upset since he hadn't seen him in the evening. He decided it would be best to talk to him, which was why he had made sure Bumblebee wasn't scheduled for any patrol shifts.   
  
"This day sucks!" he snapped, looking down at his pedes. "Nothing has gone good!  _Nothing_! What did I do to deserve this?!"  
  
The Prime felt for the little mech, understood his frustration. He had been in his same position plenty of times. Primus, he still had moments and days where he felt like the entire universe was against him. Of course, unlike Bumblebee, he had learned to mask them because he had to. He was their leader. He could appear weak to them as he was their commander and at times, their strength.   
  
Bumblebee felt somewhat guilty for snapping at a mech he admired. He wanted to be like Optimus and more. He wanted to be part of the Elite Guard one day, be like all those mechs he had admired over the years. He thought Optimus would make a great member, but for whatever reason, he wasn't one. It didn't make sense, in his opinion, but then again, anything could happen. Just look at what happened to him. Kicked out of training by Sentinel (the only Elite Guard member he questioned).   
  
Seeing Bumblebee grow quiet with that pouting expression on his face, the Prime huffed. Bumblebee was very much like a sparkling at times, thought sometimes his childish behavior was appreciated. At the moment, it made him forget that they were here to fight Decepticons and that inside, they weren't just warriors. They were Cybertronians with feelings, even if they were simple ones.  
  
Resting a servo on the yellow bot's shoulder, he asked softly, "What happened?"   
  
Bumblebee looked at Optimus, noting the sincere concern and care on his face. He didn't exactly want to bother his leader with his problem; he was sure he had enough of them as it was, what with the Decepticons and everything. Still, he seemed to genuinely want to know. With a huff, he relaxed his arms and looked down at his pedes.  
  
He told him how both Prowl and Ratchet had both scolded him – at different times – for his childish and reckless behavior.  
  
He told him how both his paintjob and tired had been ruined by his behavior.  
  
He told him how he and Sari got into an argument when Bumblebee began to doubt himself.  
  
He told him how all day he had been doubting himself, his ability, his being.   
  
Something must have been wrong with him if everyone had a complaint with him and if all this had happened to him in  _one_  day. He usually would be so confident in himself and how he was, never doubting. But today, he just couldn't think positively. Not after all that happened.   
  
Optimus knew exactly how he felt. To this day, over that incident with Elita and Sentinel, he doubted his abilities as leader. He wasn't the best and he knew that; Primus, he probably would never be the best. He still wanted to be a good leader though. And even then, he doubted himself.  
  
The Prime stood up, making Bumblebee stand up with him. The yellow mech blinked and looked up at the mech, who just patted his helm. "Boss-bot?" he said, confused.   
  
"Come on," he said, motioning him out of the room. "Let's go for a drive. I wanna show you something."  
  
Bumblebee looked at his leader curiously. Show him what exactly? Of course, he was more or less annoyed since Optimus and Prowl were known to stare up at the sky together. Both seemed to like the natural life here and made them feel better, though he thought it was boring. Still, he was too curious to turn him down and he knew Optimus was just trying to make him feel better.   
  
And with that in mind, both Cybertronians transformed and drove out of the base, Bumblebee following Optimus.  
  


* * *

 

As expected, Optimus led him to an open area within the woods, surrounded by nothing but trees and bushes and all that other organic life. He couldn't help but to be somewhat enjoyed. Surely, Optimus knew and understood that. He huffed, sitting down beside his leader who had stationed himself on the grassy terrain.   
  
"Boss-bot?" he asked.  
  
"I thought a change of location would be appropriate," he said, looking up at the night sky. Then he shook his helm. "Bumblebee. I understand how you're feeling. There isn't a week that goes by where I don't feel like that."  
  
He raised an optic ridge. Did the Prime think that he was stupid or something? He looked up to him. Plenty looked up to him… right? He certainly couldn't be the only one.   
  
When the minibot remained silent, Optimus continued. "Bumblebee, I'm not as great as you think I am. I've made… many mistakes." His mind once again flashed to that fateful day where he lost Elita and where Sentinel began to truly loathe him. He lost everything that day, all because he simply couldn't stand his ground.   
  
Since that day, he always questioned himself, just as Bumblebee was questioning his own being. Sometimes the things that happened and the things that were said – it could all be just too much. Self doubt arose easily when everyone else was putting you down and things seemed bad.   
  
He couldn't let that happen to Bumblebee. He was reckless, but he was loyal and a good soldier. Rough around the edges, sure, but so was Optimus in terms of being a leader. It took practice, experiences. Bumblebee needed to know that, needed to hear it.   
  
"Bumblebee, it's an act," he said. "I don't know everything… And I probably never will know everything. People will always doubt me, criticize me. I do it to myself…" Then he looked down at the minibot with a small smile. "But it's a learning process. It's experience… And with experience comes good days and bad days."   
  
"And horrible days," Bumblebee grumbled, pressing his knees up to his chassis and hugging himself.   
  
Optimus nodded. "Those two…" He rested a servo on his helm, stroking over it. "Listen, Bumblebee. You may be… loud at times, but I think the team needs your personality more than we realize it. Keeps us on our pedes to be honest."  
  
"Sure…"  
  
"You are a good soldier," he said, almost a bit sternly. Then he looked up at the stars and dropped the stern in his voice. "I like you for being you, even if you are reckless and like a bit of danger. You do take risks without thinking of the consequences, but it's never always a bad thing. Sometimes it's better to just do than think everything else… I could probably learn from that."  
  
This was why he would always admire Optimus. He was a great leader. Not only because of how he handled himself and situations in the war, but also because of how he handled his teammates. He could be like Sentinel – an aft and not really caring. But instead, he chose to be humble, to be himself. He didn't act as if he were above everyone or anyone. He was a leader when he needed to be, but he could also be a friend.   
  
And in this case, he was what Bumblebee needed the most – a mentor.    
  
Bumblebee looked at the older mech as his servo moved from his helm. Surprisingly, hearing that made him feel a bit better about himself. So he wasn't perfect. Well neither were Prowl and Ratchet. And if Optimus said was true, then Optimus wasn't perfect either. He supposed everyone did have their good and bad days. He was just having one of the bad ones this day around. But talking with Prime made it better.  
  
It made almost everything better.


End file.
